Movie Commentary: Superman Returns

New Superman Returns trailer (View Here)

The new Superman Returns trailer was recently released and it has risen my anticipation for the film 10-fold. Yes I know there has been some guff about this film for some time, but I have a hard time not looking forward to it. Are the lead actors too young? Perhaps. Is Kevin Spacey merely “channeling” Gene Hackman? Possibly. Do I really care? Not at all. You see people, this is a re-imagining of the Superman films which intends to pay homage to and respect the first 2 Superman films but also restart the franchise. Or, you could just consider it a film being made by someone who loves the material and felt it was a movie he had to make. I’m speaking of course about Bryan Singer, a talented and capable director who has proven his ability to craft a great story (The Usual Suspects) and handle a sci-fi / comic book film (X-Men 1 & 2). When given the opportunity to direct the new Superman movie, Bryan walked away from the X-Men film franchise that he helped to establish and took on the story of The Last Son Of Krypton. This was a project very close to him and one that he could not turn down. Some people are not fans of Bryan’s work, especially the X films, and that’s to be expected. There’s nothing wrong with people not liking an artist's work, that’s why there are many different artists.

I have a lot of faith in this film being what it has to be. The original Superman film, and it’s less than perfect sequel, will always be favorites of mine. The first film took a very dramatic look at a story filled with fantasy and superpowers. But Superman has stood for very human things for as long as he’s been around. While his abilities are the things that set him apart from the rest of humanity, it’s his human qualities, and his conviction to adhere to the homespun qualities instilled in him by his adoptive parents, that make him special. But we can aspire to those same qualities as well. We cannot fly, but we can be truthful. We are not bulletproof, yet we can stand for the things we believe in. We do not have x-ray vision, yet we can see the injustices in the world and have compassion and understanding for those having awful things done to them. Our love and caring for our fellow man can be as powerful as Superman. Of course we all know this is a fictitious tale, yet the lessons we can glean from it are all too real. This is a film, and a story, that is filled with truth and justice, “The American Way”, and for a few hours this summer, that’s a story that’s worth hearing, and one that can’t be told enough. I look forward to having fun at this film, and feeling good about what it says to me. I hope you all find the same message in this film. Have fun!